i think suzuki is making some high quality harps and actually has for years. economics always stopped me in the past but it makes more sense these days to get something that will hold up well, not to mention replaceable reed plates, than keep buying new harps as reeds go out. also my playing style is advancing past the routine blow-out-a-reed stage.i had a promaster for years and almost never used it- it was in B but it was a gift so i kept it until recently when a friend told me he needed a B for a couple of songs his band was doing. nice heft and nicer performance to it.

For years I've played mostly Bluesmasters and an occasional Delta Frost. The Bluesmasters hold up well and I generally only blow out a reed when I'm doing something stupid I went to a David Barret clinic a few years back and quite a few people complimented me on my acoustic tone and were curious as to what harp I played. They were all surprised when I flashed them the Bluesmaster.

You guys must have higher standards than me; I've been stuck on Special 20s for prob'ly 15 years now (that's a real rough guess), and I've just never felt any real shortcomings in playing them right outa the box. I've purchased Suzukis, Seydels, Herings,LOs, other Hohners, etc., and just never found anything that feels so right for me and didn't reveal any drawbacks. 80% of my playin' is acoustic blues (playing off a 58) in a jam setting with the same bunch though, so I play in a real non-critical and laidback environment. Even when I sit in with other bands on stage the prevailing standard is whether or not I can hold my own and if we're havin' a good time. Incidentallly, I needed a B harp last week for a tune also. I went down to my local store and asked 'em to order one, without lookin' in their harp display, for obvious reasons. One of the sales guys remembered that they had one; who woulda thunk? They guessed that it was me who ordered that one initially and just failed to pick it up, since they don't order "B" for stock; my need for it this time was probably exposed by the same tune that caused me to order it in the first place.

i used a lot of sp20's over about 10 years myself. i have that itch, always, to see what else is out there, what's improved, what's new. i do acoustic stuff with wife, hit jams here and there, and have been in several bands- usually with higher than i like volume. but one does what one must, and in those louder settings my tendency was always to try and get louder right at the harp- that's how i blew out so many reeds. these days i can step back a bit and let the bassman carry the volume for me. it was a hard habit to break. when i was using sp20's i was also trying to get a decent marine band, which at the time they really sucked. i guess in recent years hohner retooled and made some improvements and has even started offering a couple of somewhat better quality mb's for more $$. i still hesitate to try a delux or crossover. if i decide to try mb again i will see if i can get a prewar model and have it redone- sealed comb, reedplate work, etc.

i ordered a suzuki manji this morning, so when it comes i'll have 3 different model suzukis to put through the paces. should keep me busy along with the motley mess of harps in my case.

Not necessarily higher standards.... aside from tone, I've always kept an eye out for harps that felt good in my hands (allowing me to obtain a better cup) and so I've had a fondness for harps with covers that cover the entire reed plate and with more rounded edges than the traditional SP20/MB style.

I began playing Hohner Golden Melodys because I like their feel but eventually grew tired of their tone. Tried a Suzuki Bluesmaster and was hooked. I tried several of the Seydel Blues Sessions and REALLY liked the feel of them but they were all leaky with weak tone. Tried the Delta Frosts (which I like), Turbo Harps and others but kept going back to the Bluesmaster. It's not an overly expensive harp and suits me just fine.

something i absolutely despise about some harps is the mustache hair yanker outer feature. i forget to trim my 'stache back and pay for it on stage during a solo usually. murphy's law. i think sp20 has beena culprit along with LO and MB. it may seem petty but i don't necessarily want to sacrifice THAT much for my art.

i prefer not to use hohners when possible.i use hering,bushman,suzuki and seydel,and LO for minors.of course i use SOME hohners,because that would be really hard to avoid.

my favorite suzuki is the harp master.i interchange its parts with bushman and keep them going a pretty long time.i label reedplates when i take them out.like:"suzuki blow in tune,bushman draw out of tune more than 1/2 step,key of A"it makes repair time less of a guessing game.

the suzuki manji is the only harp i've been excited about trying since the stainless reed seydel came out.i really want to try one.

I recently bought a set of 6 Suzuki Bluesmasters to refresh my harp supply and also try a different brand. I also picked up a Seydel Soloist pro in C to see how Seydels worked. I then altered the covers on my Specials 20's so the back is more open. The results are that while the Suzukis are very nice acousticaly as is the Seydel, I still prefer my newly modded Secial 20's. They seem to have a bit more volume and a throatiness that the others don't have. The Suzukis are smoother, and feel good in the hand but seem to lack that zing. Maybe they just need some breakin time. I have been using the Seydel in my car as a driving harp. Occasionally I will use the Bluesmasters amped while performing, but the Special 20 is the one I reach for first. I have many Lee Oskars but they are a bit breathy. I do use the LO minor harps for certain songs and the Am works well, however, I have been learning to use third position for minor songs inn other keys.

Last edited by Jaybird803 on Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i'm finding i don't like the bluesmaster so much. just not as responsive as say a delta frost which would be about the same class of harp. the covers take some getting used to also. i wonder if the reed plates in a bluesmaster would fit in a delta frost?

yes ,the plates fit fine,probably made in the same factory.i get a lot of life out of my harps by mixing bushman and suzuki parts.i find i like the harp master much more than the blues master or pro master.

bearing in mind that the one i have is in A, which means i don't use it for 3rd position:

for 2nd position this is a much louder harp than i'm used to which means i can play a lot softer and get good results. all notes sound with little effort compared to nearly any other harp i've ever tried. i'm using it in our acoustic duo, mostly blues and roots stuff, and it works very well indeed. i imagine for 1st position stuff it will likely perform as well as with 2nd.this harp features longer reeds and slots and they are the tightest tolerance of clearance on any production harp yet made, so says suzuki. i have not had the covers or reed plates off as yet, i am too busy playing the thing! kind of addictive in a way.

we're going to record some stuff soon and i'll be playing it on 2 of the songs we have lined up. i also plan to get it out live with a full band before long, but initial results were very good imho.i'm already dreaming of a winning scratch off lottery ticket so i can get a few more at least........